Horror in Paradise
by SnapdragonBojangles
Summary: The Hokage sends the gang on a getaway to a mountain retreat. But as soon as they arrive, strange events start happening. Not a good summary. The story's better, I promise!
1. Chapter 1

This is only my second Naruto fic and my first chaptered one, so please be nice. The story doesn't take place during any particular period during the show, so you can just decide ages and everything for yourself. There will eventually be pairings, but they are still undecided. Enjoy!

I know this goes without saying, but I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 1

The early morning sun smiled down brazenly on the just-awakening town of Konoha. The early risers were already up and about, eating breakfast, reading the morning paper, preparing for another bright summer's day. Others were just now beginning to stir, groaning as they rolled over in bed to escape the intrusive streamers of sunlight peaking through cracks in the curtains.

One of these, a young teenager with hair as yellow as the beams lazily dancing across his face, sat up groggily and gave a huge yawn. "Mornin' already?" he mumbled rubbing his eyes and tossing the covers aside. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and shoved his feet into his slippers, rising and shuffling across the bedroom.

Another few minutes found him seated at a small kitchen table. He was contentedly munching on a bowl of ramen and sipping from an outdated carton of milk when a pair of feet ran up to his apartment and a fist began beating loudly on the door.

"HEY, BOSS, YOU AWAKE YET! HURRY UP AND ANSWER THE DOOR! I'VE GOT A MESSAGE FOR YOU FROM THE HOKAGE!"

Naruto flinched. He heaved himself back to his feet and, still clad in PJ's and nightcap, stumbled to the door. Opening it a crack, he peered around at the younger boy hopping around on the doorstep. "Wha' you wan', Konohamaru?"

"Tsunade-sama sent me," the young ninja stated, pointing at his chest proudly. "She wants to see you in her office as soon as possible."

"Why?"

"Beats me. But you're not the only one. I still gotta bunch more people to tell. See ya later, Boss!" With a final wink and a wave, Konohamaru was off again.

Naruto perked up. "Great! I bet it's gonna be some ultra-cool mission if it's so important." Within just a few minutes he was washed, dressed, and heading out the door.

Humming happily to himself, Naruto jogged down the buzzing streets towards the Hokage's headquarters. He was nearly there when a familiar blue-haired kunoichi (sp?) heading in the same direction caught his attention. "Hey, Hinata!" Naruto called as he sped up to catch her.

The Hyuuga girl turned. The ever-present rosy blush stained her cheeks when she saw who had flagged her down. "Oh, Naruto-kun. Hi," she said shyly.

"Where ya going?" Naruto asked, trotting up beside her.

"I was told the Hokage wanted to see me."

"You too, huh? Konohamaru said there were some others. What do you think it's about?"

"I…I don't know," Hinata stuttered. Her cheeks had gone redder when Naruto said he had been summoned as well. She hoped they would be sent on a mission together.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto continued, barely pausing to let Hinata answer his question, "we're supposed to get there as quickly as possible, so its got to be important. I hope it's some super-awesome mission. I haven't been on one in forever. I don't know why; you'd think the greatest ninja in the village would be receiving _loads _of missions! Maybe they just…" And he was off on another confident ramble. Hinata just smiled and let him talk.

111

"Why do we have to wait for Naruto and Hinata to get here?" Shikamaru asked the Hokage tiredly. "We can go ahead and start and then just fill them in when they get here."

Tsunade shook her head irritatedly. "I want to tell you all at the same time. They should be here any minute."

Shikamaru sighed heavily and tipped his chair back, staring idly at the ceiling. "This is such a waste of time," he muttered.

All the rookies, apart from the belated Naruto and Hinata, and Gai's team of Rock Lee, Neji, and TenTen were gathered in the Hokage's office. Most were still blinking and yawning, having rushed out of the house before fully awake. Tsunade surveyed the group trying to hide a smile. They would definitely be grateful of the news she was about to tell them.

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late. What's going on?" Everyone was jerked out of their sleepy stupor by Naruto's eccentric shout. The young ninja dashed into the room a second later, Hinata puffing behind him. He paused in the doorway and looked around. "Hey now, why're there so many people here? What're we doing, Hokage?"

"Sit down and shut up and we'll find out," Sakura snapped. "We've been waiting for you long enough."

"OK, then," Tsunade said as she rose from her desk and faced the room, "now that we're all here. The twelve of you have all been working very hard lately…"

"Tell me about it," Shikamaru mumbled.

"…and all your sensei's tell me your growth in the last few months has been very impressive. Therefore, I would like to treat you all to a little break."

"BREAK!" Naruto shouted, leaping up from his chair. "I can't take a BREAK! There's no time. I have to be training. I can't be slacking off if I want…to be…Hokage…" He cleared his throat and sat back down as he received ten murderous glares (that'd be everyone except Hinata).

Ino turned back to Tsunade and smiled sweetly. "A break would be lovely. Just a few days to relax at home, not have to worry about any missions."

"Actually," Tsunade interrupted, raising a hand, "it will be two weeks and you won't be _here._"

"Not here?" Rock Lee asked. "Where will we be then?"

Tsunade smiled. "I've rented you three rooms at a chalet in the mountains. You _may_ have heard of it. It's called Yamashiro Retreat." She paused expectantly and was rewarded with a chorus of surprised gasps. The girls all squeaked in excitement.

"Yamashiro Retreat!" Sakura squealed. "That's, like, the nicest lodge in the entire Land of Fire! Hot springs, horseback riding, hiking, a beautiful, romantic view." She looked dreamily at Sasuke, as usual the only one unmoved by the Hokage's unexpected declaration. He pointedly ignored the flirtatious girl's gaze.

Even Naruto seemed excited now. "And there's plenty of room up there to train!"

"Well, you'll be doing that on your own," Kiba told him. "I for one would enjoy a few weeks of relaxation." Akamaru barked in agreement.

Tsunade allowed them to chatter for a few more minutes before holding up a hand for silence. "You'll have today to pack. Meet at the village gates at seven tomorrow morning. There will be carriages waiting for you there. Once you arrive at Yamashiro, you're free to do what you want. All the services are open to you. And rooming arrangements will be your choice as well."

"Hey, Tsunade, gotta question," Naruto broke in, waving his arm to get her attention. "Can we invite anyone else?"

Tsunade shrugged. "We're paying per room, not per person. If you don't mind a few extra people, than go ahead."

"All right!"

"And who exactly is it you plan on inviting?" Sakura asked Naruto uncertainly. (Bet you can never guess…note the sarcasm)

111

It was another unbearable hot day in the village of Suna. Noon had already passed and the temperature was continuing to rise. And tempers were rising with it.

It was the latter that had driven Kankurou out into the scorching sun. He was currently lounging around under the overhanging eaves of the house he shared with his siblings. The meager shade offered little comfort from the pulsing heat of the sun. It would have been much more comfortable inside. But Gaara was currently in a very irritable mood and Temari was having dinner preparation trouble in the kitchen. So Kankurou figured it was in his best interests to stay out of their way for now.

The puppeteer had shed his usual black jumpsuit (I don't get how he can stand to where that thing in the desert) in favor of a pair of khaki shorts and white T-shirt; much more suitable for the midsummer weather. The face paint and hood were missing as well, the teen's spiky brown hair free and slightly dampened with sweat. He sat with his back against the sun-warmed wall, legs crossed, eyes closed, dozing.

A moment later he was awakened as his sharpened senses warned him of something approaching. He opened his eyes and stretched as a messenger hawk alighted before him. Kankurou rubbed his eyes then studied the bird. "From Konoha?" he muttered under his breath when he recognized the symbol on the bird's harness. He reached over and removed a scroll from the tube on its back. The hawk didn't depart. So an answer was expected. Unrolling the message, Kankurou laid the parchment on his lap and read:

Gaara, Kankurou, and Temari,

Hey, guys, how're you doing? It's been awhile. Anyway, I've got an invite for you. The Hokage's just given a bunch of us over here a break from ninja duties. Two weeks at Yamashiro Retreat! You three are welcome to come, free of expense. We're leaving here tomorrow morning. Let me know if we should plan to meet you there. Later!

Naruto

"Hmm," Kankurou murmured, pulling himself to his feet. The hawk fluttered to his shoulder as he headed towards the front door. The air inside was refreshingly cool and dim after the glaring outdoors.

"Temari! Gaara! Message from Konoha!" Kankurou shouted as he deposited the hawk on a hat stand and plopped down on a couch in the living room. Temari appeared out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.

"There's nothing wrong is there?" she asked, sitting next to her brother. He shook his head and handed her the message. She read through it and yelped in excitement. "Yamashiro Retreat!"

"What is that, exactly?" Kankurou asked.

Temari gaped at him then turned to Gaara who had just materialized out of the dark hallway and was leaning against the wall nearby. He shrugged.

"Neither of you have ever heard of Yamashiro? Holy crap, you two, it's only like the grandest and most expensive lodge around."

"Girl stuff," Kankurou shot at her, taking the letter back and idly folding it into a paper airplane. Upon completion, he flew it across the room to Gaara who deftly snatched it out of the air and read it. "We wouldn't know."

Temari ignored him, already off in her own little fantasy. "A chance to stay there for two weeks. And all costs paid! We've _so _got to go." Kankurou glanced at his younger brother who nodded.

"Why not? Nothing to do around here right now anyways."

Kankurou grinned and leapt to his feet. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get packing!"

111

So there's chapter one. I still think the whole giving all the main characters a break and sending them on an all-expense paid vacation to some springs or hotel or whatever is a very unlikely occurrence. But that whole plot line seems to be pretty popular now, so what the heck. Let me know what you all think.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, thanks to kittyclaw at least for reviewing last chapter. Sorry this one took awhile in getting out. I'm working on another story right now and I'm a slow updater on top of that. Ask anyone who's read my other story. Anyway, maybe I'll get a little more input on this chapter, and if not, oh well.

Chapter 2

"Welcome to Yamashiro Retreat!" a perky young girl announced to Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino as they all piled out of the first carriage. They were followed by the second which ground to a halt and unloaded the other six before both pulled off back down the track. The girl smiled around at the group. "My name is Kido. I'll be showing you around the chalet."

The group introduced themselves to the girl. Most of the guys had trouble taking their eyes off her. She wasn't much older than them, with a pretty pixie face framed by wavy wisps of dark auburn hair. Her hazel eyes were beautifully brought out by a light green kimono wrapped around her slender figure. She smiled and nodded at each person as they gave their name.

"There were three others in our party, too, coming separately," Naruto said as everyone began to heft suitcases and backpacks off the ground.

"You mean the Sand Ninja?" Kido asked. "They arrived a few hours ago. I've already shown them to your rooms. But now that you're here, we can get on with the tour."

She motioned for them to follow her. They headed up a broad path that wound through the thick forest. The air was cool and crisp despite the fact that it was the middle of July. Dark pines towered around them but not in the threatening manner that was usual of coniferous forests. The light breeze ruffled the branches, making it sound as if the trees were whispering warmly amongst themselves. The overall feeling was curiously inviting.

They hadn't yet seen the chalet, hidden behind a screen of trees, but after a few moments they rounded a bend in the path. There was a collective gasp as the sprawling retreat came into view. Kido grinned at their reaction.

A good portion of the forested mountainside had been cleared to accommodate the chalet. The ground it sat on was relatively flat, sloping upwards only slightly at this point of the mountain. Before them was a decorative arch with the retreat name hung from a board at the top. A dirt path lead from here up to the main center, a large log structure built in the same manner of the cozy little cabins you see in paintings of snowy winters. Behind this was no less than two dozen smaller buildings of the same type. The grass beneath their feet was soft and lush, interrupted periodically by colorful gardens and split down the middle by a small clear blue river. The delicate music of a pipe filtered through the air, mixing with the caressing sunbeams dancing over the ground.

All of the girls, including Hinata, squealed in delight. Even the guys were awestruck. "This is going to be _awesome_!" Kiba hollered, throwing his fist in the air. Akamaru barked in echo of his master's excitement.

Kido grinned again. "You all will be staying in that building down there." She pointed to one of the larger structures nestled in the center of the clearing, next to the river. "I'll give you awhile to meet up with you friends and get settled. Meet me in the main lobby when you're done."

She turned to enter the first building while the rest trotted off to their rooms. Less excitable than their companions, Neji, Sasuke, and Shino trailed behind, letting the main pack chatter off. They crossed the river over a short, vine covered bridge. The water ran clear and cool beneath them, and small fish darted like quicksilver down the current.

The ninja were just approaching the cabin when the front door opened and a familiar girl stepped out.

"Hey guys," Temari said with a grin.

"Hey Temari," Naruto chirped, waving excitedly.

The Sand Kunoichi stepped forward to meet the group. "Is this place great or what?" she said, raising her arms. "I can't thank you enough for inviting us."

"How're the rooms?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"Come and see." They followed Temari into the building. The room they entered was brightly lit and set up as a living room, cramped with furniture and a large screen TV. A young couple nodded at them from an overstuffed couch as they walked in. "This is just the main room here. There are televisions and stuff in the separate suites but this is for the really large groups like us. So we have a place to all hang together." Temari smiled at the couple as they stood and came over. "There are six rooms in this complex. Three are ours. Two of the others are rented out right now. There's a family in one with this adorable little girl." She turned to the couple. "And this is Yumi and Akeno. They're on their honeymoon."

"Hopefully their rooms not near ours," Shikamaru muttered to Choji who snickered.

"Temari tells us you're all ninja," Yumi said, flipping a strand of honey-colored hair out of her face. "It must be nice to have a break. I'm sure you'll all enjoy yourselves here."

"Heck yeah, we will," Tenten answered as she studied the elaborate room. "This place is awesome."

"There's definitely a lot to do," Akeno said. He winked at Tenten. "Just don't let the ghosts get you."

"G...ghosts?" Hinata said nervously. Her hands automatically raised before her protectively.

Akeno was about to say something else when footsteps approached from a dim hallway to their left. Hinata jumped as if expecting a glowing white form to swoop down on them. But a second later Kankurou materialized out of the shadows. He grinned when he saw the Konoha ninja. "I thought I heard you guys out here."

A chorus of greetings began before ending abruptly as Gaara followed his older brother into the living room. Temari and Kankurou actually chuckled at their reaction and Gaara just rolled his eyes as everyone stared at him uncertainly. Although they all knew that Gaara wasn't the same bloodthirsty monster they'd first met at the Chuunin Exams, they obviously hadn't yet decided how they should act around him.

Except for Naruto, of course, who, after only a moment of hush, leapt forward to greet the other boy. "Hey, Gaara, what's going on? It's been _forever_!"

Gaara looked surprised but undeniably pleased. "I'm doing OK, I guess."

"Great!" Naruto said. "Now how 'bout showing us where we'll be staying for the next two weeks?"

"We'll see you all later," Temari said to Yumi and Akeno as they moved off towards the hall Kankurou and Gaara had come out of.

"So let's see, three rooms, fifteen people," Sakura began, taking charge of the situation. "That'll be five people in each room. One for the girls and two for the guys."

"My stuff's already in here," Temari said pointing towards the first door as they approached.

"So I guess this'll be the girl's room," Sakura said, hefting her backpack up her shoulder. "Let's see what it looks like."

The next of the day's many squeals rebounded out into the hall as the girls entered the room and flipped on the light switch, leaving the guys alone.

Kankurou shook his head. "It's really nothing _that _special. It's nice and all, but it'll still be cramped with five people." He lead the group further down the hall to the next door. "Me'n Gaara are already in here. So we can take three more."

"I'll stay with you," Naruto spoke up. The rest winced at the thought of staying in the same room as both Gaara _and_ Naruto.

"I'm going to the next room," Shikamaru said and he was followed immediately by Choji, Sasuke, and Neji.

"I will remain here," Lee said as gallantly as ever.

"Looks like we're gonna be split up, buddy," Kiba told Shino. "How about you go with those party poopers? Me and Akamaru will stay with this lot."

"Whatever," Shino said.

"Do we have to get the dog?" Naruto asked, looking uncertainly at Akamaru.

"Would you rather have the bugs?" Kiba shot back.

"Guess not," Naruto admitted as Kankurou opened their door. They all piled in. There was a moment of silence.

"Not that special!" Kiba glared at Kankurou. "This is luxury!"

Kankurou scratched his head and shrugged. "Son of a Kazekage. Guess I'm just used to quality."

The room was nearly the size of a small house, with room to accommodate five beds, a small kitchenette, a good-sizes bathroom, numerous tables and dressers, and a large television set, plus a set of window doors opening out onto a spacious porch. Two of the beds already had half-unpacked suitcases on them, loose clothing and other items spread over the light green comforters. Naruto, Kiba, and Lee tossed their stuff on the remaining three.

"Thank you, Hokage," Kiba said as he flopped back on the comforter. "I think I can stand two weeks of this place."

"So how 'bout we meet back up with Kido and see the rest of it?" Naruto asked. "I want to find out where they keep the food."

111

A while later, the group had returned to the main lobby where Kido was waiting for them. She bounced to her feet as soon as they walked through the doors, nearly upending the chair she'd been lounging in.

"You guys like your rooms?" she asked brightly.

"They're wonderful," Ino said, then continued in a mutter, "although it would be nicer if I didn't have to share with Miss Forehead over there."

"What was that?" Sakura began angrily before Kido held up her hand.

"I doubt you'll be spending much time in their anyways. There's better things to do than sit in your room all day." The girls both huffed but didn't say anything else.

"Anyway," Kido began, clapping her hands before her, "this is the main building right here. The staff lodges up here plus you've got the information desk, washing machines, a game room, and all that kind of stuff. Nothing too interesting so we'll go ahead and head outside."

They moved back out into the afternoon sunshine. Kido motioned for them to follow her. "Yamashiro Retreat was established over one hundred years ago, by my great-grandfather in fact, as a getaway mostly for the rich and important. The whole place was built up around a natural hot springs found on the mountain. Everything else was added until it became what it is today. The springs are still running, as well. They come up in the spa house, which is this one right here."

She stopped at the only non-cabinish building in the clearing, this one built in a more traditional spa house style instead of log. It was surrounded by a thick aroma of perfume and soap. Steam wafted out of several vents in the roof.

"Oh, I am so there," Ino said, staring starry-eyed at the bath house.

"You all must pay it a visit," Kido said. "It is where Yamashiro began, after all." A few guys gagged, but soon they were moving again.

"You said your great-grandfather established Yamashiro," Temari said, jogging to catch up with Kido at the front of the line. "So your family owns this place?"

Kido grimaced and shook her head. "Not any more. An…accident happened a few years ago, while my grandfather was running the place, and he was forced to sell it. My family continued to work here, but we no longer own it."

"You talking about that murder?" Kankurou asked.

Kido flinched. "So you've already heard the story?"

"Yumi and Akeno told me, Kankurou, and Gaara," Temari said. "But the rest haven't heard yet."

"What murder?" Sakura asked curiously.

Kido shook her head. "The one black mark in this place's history." She sighed. "It happened almost fifty years ago. There was a woman who was staying here. She was the daughter of the Lord of the Land of Wind, I think. Someone important, anyways. She was a young girl, and, as many stories like this go, she fell in love with a boy up here. A stable boy, in fact. He was a mysterious kid, just showed up one day out of no where. My grandfather was running Yamashiro at the time and remembers him quite well. A quiet, good-looking boy, he told me, never said where he came from. But he was good with the horses, so my grandfather allowed him to stay and work here.

The girl's name was Maili. The boy just called himself Ren. Maili was fond of horses and spent much of her up in the stables. She got to know Ren quite well. She was the only person he would ever really talk to. They became great friends, and eventually something more."

Kido brought the group to a stop and pointed up to the highest point of the clearing. A large barn with adjoined pasture sat up there, and it was painfully obvious to the sharp ninja how far back from the rest of the retreat the building was placed. "It was in that very barn that Maili was killed. She had gone up one night to check on Ren, her mother claimed afterwards. Ren preferred to sleep by himself in the stable and Maili had heard strange noises from up there. She wanted to make sure he was OK. When the next morning came around, she had not returned.

They found her body in an empty stall. Her throat had been sliced and, disturbingly, her heart had been cut out. She was otherwise intact. There didn't appear to have been any struggle, no signs of rape or theft. But Ren was gone, along with his few belongings and one of the horses, a big grey stallion. A ninja team was sent out after him, but even they couldn't find any signs of him or the horse. He hasn't been seen since. Maili's father threatened to have us closed down. In the end, my grandfather was deprived of ownership. The fault had to be laid on someone, and my grandfather was the one who hired Ren. The retreat was kept up, though. And nothing like that has happened since."

Kido shrugged as she finished her story. "It's not really a unique event, I guess. Every retreat, camp, or whatever has had someone killed there."

"A-Akeno said something about g-ghosts," Hinata spoke up nervously.

Rolling her eyes, Kido said, "It's to be expected. Murder stories always spawn ghost sightings. A young girl, usually, or strange wailings coming from the barn at night. And Yamashiro's one of those lucky places to have visitors take it even farther. Other spirits being sighted, more supernatural events. Now a lot of people believe this place is completely haunted."

Naruto laughed. "Haunted? Yeah, right. I'll never understand how people can buy into that crap." He nudged Hinata who was standing next to him. "Isn't that stupid?"

Looking nervous, the girl laughed weakly. "Yeah. Stupid."

"Well, that's enough about murders and ghosts," Kido said. "You still need to see the rest of the place."

They spent the next few hours following Kido as she showed them around. They went up to the stable, some of them a bit reluctantly, where the horses and mountain bikes were kept. In the clearing there were also basketball and tennis courts, a rarely used indoor pool, and sheds full of equipment for water sports, rock climbing, and repelling which Kido told them they were welcome to use any time. She also took them on a short walk to the lake and then to a few of the climbing cliffs. The group talked excitedly the entire time, and even their highly keen senses never once picked up the shadowy pair of eyes watching them the entire time.

111

yawn Sorry that chapter was probably terribly boring. I hate setting the story up. No action. Hopefully that'll start soon. Anyway, as far as pairings go, I've made some decisions. One'll definitely be Kankurou/Sakura. Not very popular, but I've always been a huge fan. The rest will probably be your usuals, like Naruto/Hinata, Neji/Tenten, Shikamaru/Temari, and all that fun stuff. That is, if I get far enough into the story to have pairings which won't happen if no one reviews. gets down on hands and knees Please, please, _please_ review! I like this story, but its gotta be worth my time. chibi eyes I'll give you a cookie. R&R!


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